This past weekend was spent with family at Cedar Point riding thrilling roller coasters and eating good but not good for you park food such as french fries and ice cream. Throw in a few games and winning prizes and you have one COOL weekend. One couldn't ask for anything more.
However, there were a group of friends riding one roller coaster with us and they were the definition of COOL, good friends. One of the group of friends appeared to be legally blind as he wore big sunglasses that wrapped around his face. This man, they called "Shark", was sitting in front of my niece on one of the coasters. As the coaster whipped around bends and ascended and descended the tracks at a torrid pace, the man sitting beside Shark and the woman in front of him started yelling at him that he better not throw up. As the coaster came to a stop, readying to allow its passengers off the two friends of Shark began to tell him to turn to his right so that he might not hit them with any leftovers from lunch.
At this time, we did not realize that Shark was probably blind until we had exited the ride and were continuing our way to the next coaster when we witnessed the man sitting besides Shark helping him as he appeared to still be wobbly from his ride. The man had Shark's hands and was guiding him. I couldn't imagine riding a roller coaster without being able to see the curves and hills.
Prior to getting on the coaster as we were strapping ourselves in, Shark was having trouble buckling his seat belt and commented that he fit in the ride last year and his friend mentioned to him that he obviously gained weight over the past year.
We would see Shark and his friends two more times during that day and both times he had a hand on a friend's shoulder to help guide him through the busy amusement park. It is hard enough to navigate one's way around with a pair of good eyes as people make their way to their favorite rides. The pace is quick and people can be relentless and unforgiving along their way.
Watching Shark's friends joke and kid with him all the while caring for him during their trip to Cedar Point was a COOL experience. They obviously cared enough about him to make sure that his experience in the amusement park was a safe one all the while letting him see that he was one of them and would get no slack no matter how poor his vision was. Here's to you Shark's friend's for not only making his experience a cool one but ours one as well-stay positive, stay generous, and STAY COOL!
What do you think of Shark's friends and how they treat him? How would you treat a legally blind friend and would you accompany them to an amusement park and ride roller coasters?
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